Toast after toast
by blackandwhity
Summary: Ten times he hands her a drink. Each toast brings them closer.


**A/N** _Hello, I'm back! As you've probably assumed from the description already, the underlying theme of this story are the toasts Tony and Ziva share in different moments of their relationship. I've been inspired by the scenes in Jurisdiction and Berlin, and comparing moments in season 7 and season 10 made me think about how far they had come. I started overanalyzing and I ended up writing this oneshot...  
Many of you have probably read this story already on Tumblr. To everyone else: I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

The first time he hands her a drink they're sitting on her couch, the night after Gibbs has left.  
He has showed up at her door with a six pack in his hand and a lost expression on his face, and they are sitting side to side, at a loss for words.

It doesn't really help him that she makes a bittersweet toast to the new leader.

* * *

The second time happens at a run-down motel in the middle of nowhere in California. She finds him in his room, sitting on the floor at the end of the bed, holding a bottle of tequila.  
She sits down quietly beside him and he just passes her the bottle, because damn, she looks like she needs it too. She takes it and raises it the slightest bit, in a silent homage to the friend they just lost.

* * *

The third time they're sitting in the bullpen, in a pretend not-date that involves a classic pirate movie and a lot of things left unsaid.

He hands her a soft drink in a big Styrofoam cup, and he's brought back to his very first date with his very first crush in his early teenage.  
After all, they've been through so much together during the last year, that it feels inevitably like a first.

* * *

The fourth time they're finally in a fancy place, but ironically enough this is just another mission.  
He hands her a glass of Martini when he sees how the tension is eating her up alive. He wants to keep her grounded, but it's not with liquor that he intends to pursue that goal. With his free hand, he brushes her shoulder and back lightly, and his pointless toast "to Berlin" is uttered just to make her hear his voice, so that all the things he's said at the hotel an hour earlier can resonate in her ears. _I'm here, we're a team, we're gonna get him._

_Stay with me._

* * *

The fifth time, he hands her a glass of champagne at McGee's and Delilah's wedding, and this is the closest they've ever come to an actual date.

The look they share over the toast to the newlyweds holds so much more than just the joy for their friend's happiness.

* * *

The sixth time is on that same night.

When she hands him a beer while they're sitting on his couch, he feels like they've come full circle, so he grabs the bottle neck with one hand and her hand with the other, and as soon as the bottle stands safely on the coffee table, his cool fingers find their way to her cheek and his lips to hers.

* * *

The seventh time happens on their first actual date. He hands her a glass of red wine, and the tips of his fingers tingle when they meet hers on the edge of the glass.

He's reminded of a certain Styrofoam cup, and the memory makes him realize that with her, it always feels like a first.

* * *

The eight time he hands her a glass of Italian straw wine, at the end of a fancy dinner at the Italian restaurant. As she raises the glass for the toast, he can't help being proud of himself, because that ring looks really good on her.

* * *

The ninth time they're sitting on their bathroom floor, possibly the least romantic and most inappropriate place to make a toast, but when he hands her a glass of water after she's done with throwing up, her smile is not just grateful. They do have something to celebrate, after all.

* * *

The tenth time and many others following closely, he hands her a bottle of a home-made sort of Gatorade that he prepared for her, to help her through the labor.

At each passage, he can't tell who's hand is shaking more.

* * *

In the following years, he loses count. She hands him a cup of coffee every morning, and he hands her a mug of tea every night, not to mention tons of glasses of milk and juice that they hand to their little one.

He loves how such a simple gesture can enshrine so much love in itself.

* * *

**A/N**_ That's it for now! I'm trying to follow a brilliant advice from the lovely Jae, and write a drabble for each moment. It's going to take a while, though, so I've thought to post the original version in the meantime._

_I hope you liked it! Your thoughts are always appreciated :)_


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